Driving into the parking lot of the Drop-In at Hudlow Road and West Main Street, Forest City, the aroma of fresh fried hot wings at Major Lee's brought customer after customer into the store at lunch time. For several minutes, there was a swinging door as one customer after the other stepped up to the counter, placed an order then stepped away for the next customer's order.

Local business people and tourism leaders are once again encouraged as more and more people are visiting the small towns of Rutherford County. Record-setting numbers of visitors were coming to Rutherford County through summer of 2024. But then, Hurricane Helene hit hard in late September, 2024.

When Steven Camp, 35, of Forest City returned home recently from the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota, Minneapolis, he brought home his ever present smile along with a bronze medal, a silver medal and a fourth place ribbon for his bowling skills. He bowled individually and also on a team.

More than 760 Vietnam veterans, including 25 from North Carolina --three from Rutherford County -- were inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's (VVMF) In Memory Program in 2026. VVMF believes all those who served in the Vietnam War should be honored and remembered for their service. The In Memory program enables the families and friends of those who came home and later died, the opportunity to have them be forever memorialized.